Here’s a place that’s not food related, the botanic gardens of Adelaide. Adelaide has three – the Adelaide Botanic Garden, Mount Lofty Botanic Garden and Wittunga Botanic Garden. There is nothing better than spending the day at the botanic gardens for a picnic, go for a run or hike or just to take in the breathtaking scenery. The one we’ll cover this time is the Mount Lofty Botanic Garden. It is only just under 20 kms from the Adelaide city centre but once you’re there, you feel like you’re hours away from the city which is great because you have that highly accessible choice of city vs. nature.

There’s a lot of ground to cover so start early. Make the Mount Lofty Summit your first stop – grab a map from the tourist info desk and view Adelaide city from there. On a clear day, you’re supposed to be able to see Kangaroo Island. Next, hike down through the gardens. Alternatively, you could drive down to the lower entrance (via Lampert Road), park there and work your way up through the gardens towards the summit. Meet there on Thursdays at 10:30am for the free guided walks in spring and autumn. If hiking’s not your thing, there’s a lake there which is a great spot for a picnic.

There are many trails but we recommend the Bank SA Nature Trail (note: gradient is rather steep but there are other easier trails you could attempt) because you get to see flora that is native to Mount Lofty. Doesn’t matter which trail you choose though – you can’t go wrong – they’re all beautiful! Also, if you’re lucky as we were, you’ll be able to see kangaroos.

Check out http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/botanicgardens/Home for more information on all three botanic gardens and click here to download information specifically on the Mount Lofty Botanic Garden.

We’ll cover the Adelaide Botanic Garden in a future post.

Address: Summit Rd / Piccadilly Rd, Crafers, South Australia 5052
Phone: +61 8 8370 8370 (dial 08 8370 8370 if in Australia)
Hours: 8:30am – 4pm Monday to Friday / 10am – 5pm (6pm during daylight savings) Saturday and Sunday (note: CLOSED if there is a danger of fire during the summer months – check with the Bureau of Meteorology before going)

Lookout point at the Mount Lofty summit – Adelaide city is in the middle at the top of the pic.

Obelisk at the summit used for navigation during World War II.

A most beautiful place to park your car – lower entrance.

Great spot for a picnic by the lake at the lower entrance.

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